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Maruerite DVD Reviewed by Cam Eagle

Paris, 1920s. Marguerite Dumont is a wealthy woman who is a lover of music and the opera. She loves to sing for her friends, although she's a bad singer. Both her friends and her husband have kept her fantasy. The problem begins when she decides to perform in front of a real audience.

The Review

There’s something about Marguerite that makes you love Marguerite; her delusion that she can sing, her tolerance of her husband, her innocent naivety.

When everyone praises her to her face and then talks about how bad she is behind her back, it makes you wonder what you would say in a similar scenario.

Marguerite peruses singing with passion as it creates the best feeling for her, second only to her feeling of wanting to be loved by her husband. This tragedy makes you feel something for Marguerite and also for her husband, who tries to shelter her from the truth, but also tries to tell her. There are limits to one’s compassion though, as both characters are somewhat flawed.

The painful rendering of the operatic areas brings some comedic amusement. And it only gets worse as she hankers for a bigger stage with a bigger audience.

There are some nice characterisations that complement Marguerite; particularly Hazel and the cad, Lucien Beaumont. The chapters and her eating habits are quaint additions to this period French vaudeville show.

Some content may disturb but it’s actually quite mild.

The Verdict

Even though Marguerite evokes fondness and sympathy, unfortunately there’s not enough in Marguerite that made me love the movie.